Chess

Most people who do not play chess do not realize that it is a game made up of smaller games – three to be exact. Each are distinct and have their own strategies to be successful, which chess players call “gaining the initiative.” The first game, the opener, is about deploying your pieces and trying to capture the center of the board. The mid-game typically includes capturing material and positioning yourself to trigger the final stage – the end-game. The end-game is usually defined as starting when the King is finally put into play, where a player with the initiative pursues a checkmate and closure of the match.

In general, the opening game tends to involve well established strategies, called openers. The Queen’s Gambit, the French Defense, the Ruy Lopez are well known terminology in the chess world. Although white usually has the advantage because it gets the first move, a well executed opener may challenge that assumption. The mid-game itself is typically where the players of the game will formulate strategies to aid in success in later stages. A poor mid-game can waste a good opener, and conversely a boldly played mid-game can salvage a game as well. End-game tactics tend to be a little less defined, with the goal of the player with the initiative pursuing the checkmate, while the one on the defensive seeks to maneuver their pieces to force a stalemate, or draw.

Many years ago, when I was a child, I would beat almost everyone I played. Most of these wins came because I would play a very unconventional opener that created a queen swap early, then would position a pawn to be promoted at some point to create a checkmate. Eventually, better players would see through it and counteract it early. Other things came up, and I stopped playing for many years. Now I have come back to it as an adult, mostly because my sons are interested in it. I have reignited my love for chess. I again enjoy reading about it and studying it. Likewise, I am by no means a master. I tend to blunder at some point in the game, and the only way to counteract this would be to just play more games, if I could salvage the time. However, it has given me a way to connect with my sons, which I appreciate.